i need help. i taugt in south korea about a year ago. unfortunately i taught under bad conditions and did a runner six months into my contract. i would however like to return to south korea to work again but i want to know if i need a release letter if i want to work there again.

Hi cwsa.
Because your contract was for a year, if a year has passed, the contract time has finished and a letter of release would not be needed. I have heard stories of people having a hard time upon re entering the country if they "did a runner", however I have also known people who did it and had no problems. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to check out any new prospective job in detail before you commit to it.
All the best,
Ruth
http://tefldaddy.com/Korea.htm